Cosmogenic Nuclide Laboratory and Geomorphology Research Group

Drainage Basin Dynamics, Panama

The Panama Canal is dependent on reservoir storage to maintain flows
during periods of dry weather. Erosion of drainage basins, some of
which have been cleared for logging or agriculture, fills reservoirs
and lowers their capacity. By collecting samples from Panamanian
drainage basins and analyzing 10Be in these samples, we have estimated
long-term rates of sediment generation for this humid tropical
landscape.